Dropping Gumballs On Luke Wilson
Closed 1h 15m
Dropping Gumballs On Luke Wilson
75

Dropping Gumballs On Luke Wilson NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%
(57 Ratings)
Positive
77%
Mixed
18%
Negative
5%
Members say
Funny, Entertaining, Clever, Quirky, Great acting

About the Show

Working Theater's new play is based on a true, little-known story about the making of an iconic TV commercial in which a legendary film director puts a movie star's life in the hands of a very jittery props guy. 

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Show-Score Member Reviews (57)

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290 Reviews | 92 Followers
95
Must see, Great writing, Great staging, Funny, Great acting

See it if You like plays that poke fun at the Entertainment industry. I was ad copy-writer in the 70's and this play is "Write-On!!!!"

Don't see it if You like more Broadway style shows. And don't see if you don't have a good sense of humor....

269 Reviews | 81 Followers
95
Great staging, Intelligent, Entertaining, Riveting, Great acting

See it if A true story told in a way that pulls you in many directions and to question loyalties and common sense. It is very entertaining

Don't see it if Don’t see it if a the world of advertising, commercials and corporate America hold no interest for you.

741 Reviews | 325 Followers
92
Set forth as a portrayal of the making of an at&t commercial by legendary director errol morris, it is a tour de force/farce in investigating the nature of truth

See it if hilariously meta; satire of E Morris documentaries about "truth" turns Morris into character in play that itself examines what truth is

Don't see it if like NY Times, u find this to be thin & cartoonish & lacking drama; look deeper, it's much more clever & ambitious Read more

112 Reviews | 22 Followers
90
Thought-provoking, Refreshing, Intelligent, Funny, Delightful

See it if You're looking for something funny, surprising, thoughtful, and unusual. Wonderful play wonderfully done!

Don't see it if You want to see something pretentious and overrated the critics love, that will make you miserable.

134 Reviews | 23 Followers
90
Quirky, Great staging, Clever, Absorbing, Funny

See it if You like clever writing and an off-beat story. Not your typical fare. Very good acting, funny, sweet.

Don't see it if You don't like intimate theater experiences with a lot of heart. I recommend this funny, engaging show.

712 Reviews | 401 Followers
89
Clever, Absorbing, Great acting, Hilarious, Intelligent

See it if Funny comedy about a true event.

Don't see it if If you don’t like comedies.

353 Reviews | 107 Followers
85
Thought-provoking, Well acted, A fun look into the filming of a commercial, Funny

See it if You like plays based on real events. You like comedies that have something to say about power and its misuse.

Don't see it if You don’t like intimate venues. Read more

195 Reviews | 16 Followers
85
Refreshing, Funny, Clever, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if You want to laugh & enjoy the subtle humor.It doesn't seem to need a good reason to demand certain things to happen when you are a director.

Don't see it if You prefer a longer show or a dramatic story.

Critic Reviews (16)

The New York Times
June 19th, 2019

“’Dropping Gumballs’ stretches Ackerman’s anecdote over a very thin 75 minutes...But the play does have a delicious villain in its Morris, played by Wohl as a tyrannical perfectionist who thrills at his own gravitas...As written, Wilson is a cartoon, but at least he has charisma, which our hero, Rob, and his thinly drawn colleagues sorely lack. That’s not the actors’ doing; the trouble is in a script that wants to honor the characters’ toil but can’t locate the drama in it.”
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New Yorker
June 21st, 2019

“Directed with a gently surreal touch by Rebeck, the actors impersonating the celebrities are delightful: Sale’s Wilson is paunchy and aloof, and Wohl’s Morris is an offhand megalomaniac. But it’s the crew members whose perspectives make the premise of this show so weirdly engrossing. Ackerman is interested in big ideas which is one of the best jokes here: to load such heavy stuff onto such an absurd frame.”
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BroadwayWorld
June 18th, 2019

“’Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson’ ricochets plenty of candy and themes, but in its 75 minutes, this thin workplace-humor production doesn't give us enough to chew on...Watching an avalanche of gumballs bounce off of Luke Wilson's head was funny in a slapstick way. That being said, the concept of a human pachinko machine repurposed from a 30-second telecom commercial was not enough to sustain my emotional interest in this show.”
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Lighting & Sound America
June 27th, 2019

"The playwright Theresa Rebeck makes her New York directorial debut here and she handles both sides of the play -- the show business shenanigans and clash of ideas -- with authority, putting a well-cast troupe through their paces and never letting the action go slack...The production benefits from a design that adds verisimilitude to these amusingly dubious proceedings."
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TheaterScene.net
June 24th, 2019

"A decade has passed since the much-criticized AT&T vs. Verizon commercials starring Luke Wilson took to the airwaves, but playwright Rob Ackerman has chosen to bubble up their essence into his whimsical, off-the-wall new play, 'Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson,' helmed by Theresa Rebeck in her New York directorial debut."
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Theater Pizzazz
June 18th, 2019

"Seems to cram in every labor-related issue that might appear in a packed 75 minutes...But ‘Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson’ lacks effortless flow. While the outpouring of emotion in the script must have been derived from Ackerman’s years as the Prop Master for SNL Film Unit, what is remembered is the humor, and the desire to turn the document of a day into an interactive experience...Funny, yet tragic...A must see for theater folks, with friends in the film and television industry.”
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Front Row Center
June 19th, 2019

"I laughed because this conflict is so familiar to me having been an actor on commercial sets and it is certainly too late to cry. My husband, my date, laughed because surely this is just a fun exaggeration, right?...The casting of this show is deliciously perfect. I’m sucked in and the familiar anxiety arises within me because the characters are true to life...Get your skates on. Go see this one before it disappears."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
June 21st, 2019

"One of the many problems that plagues this production is that there are almost as many platitudes strewn across the stage as gumballs, some more prevalent than others. The play does not have enough substance...Issues are established but never resolved leaving a void that is created by ignorance...Rebeck keeps the action moving...but is undertaking turning a one trick pony into a three-ring circus...The characters are too shallow and once the gumballs drop, the play is over."
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